'I Hate Gonzi & PN' Facebook group

I have stated, and will continue to stick by my declaration, that I have never been a part of or registered myself as a member of a group under the name of I Hate Gonzi & PN supporters or anything of the like.

As I explained to the reporter from The Times, I do not consider myself to be a computer expert. Far from it. But logic tells me that if somebody wanted to prove my involvement in such a group, he should have produced an image of my site which very clearly lists the groups in which I am registered as a member, 37 in all. Something that could have easily been done once it is so easy to enter Facebook profiles. Or even better, bring forward my IPL number which is my electronic ID.

No. The mud slingers brought forward nothing of the sort.

I am afraid the correspondent reproduced nothing of all this but chose to state that "A Facebook group declaring its hate for Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and the Nationalist Party changed its name yesterday after a Labour MP whose name and photo appeared among the group's fans denied any link."

Sorry, but is the correspondent now alleging the site is controlled by my party or that I have a direct control on the profile itself? Ridiculous.

Furthermore, this statement totally justifies my suspicions. The correspondent is herself declaring and accepting the fact that it is so easy to change the name of the site that the perpetrators have again changed the name of the site. And may I ask, if the new site still carries my picture in it, from where did this perpetrator get my permission to include me in this new site?

So it is not true to state that "A person has to accept an invitation for his name and photo to appear among that group's followers."

What might have happened and ended me up on this profile, now that it is so obvious how easy it is to manipulate these sites, I leave up to readers to figure out.

I conclude, as I was rightly quoted, that on hearing about this irresponsible attack on my reputation, I immediately wrote to Lawrence Gonzi and even spoke to him in Parliament. Thank God Malta is a small country and people's habits are well known. People know that if I want to make a statement I will come forward and speak my mind and will definitely not make use of or form part of any group that expresses hatred against people, with whom, at the end of the day, I studied, worked and lived all my life.

I may not agree politically with you but I will never hate you. And this is something people out there know very well about me.

Editor's note: The connection between the group's change of name and Dr Sammut's denial was made inadvertently at the editing stage. The word "after" should have read "as" in the story lead. The error is regretted.